My break ran over.

Five minutes before it was up, I excused myself and got up to go talk to the shift supervisor.

Since it was still slow, she agreed to give me an extra ten, and I returned to the table so Briar could continue talking. I kept waiting for the entire thing to make sense, but so far, it wasn’t happening.

With five minutes left to go before I had to get back to work. “Look, I don’t understand why you think I’m supposed to keep an eye on him.”

“It’s not that I think you’re supposed to. It’s that I think you’re equipped to…and I’m willing to pay you…very well. And you’ll have free room and board for the duration.”

Frowning, I leaned back into the padded cushion of the booth. “I’ve already got an apartment.”

“I’ve got a friend who specializes in helping people sublet their apartments. She can have it booked in a matter of days, and I’ll cover the rent until you’re set up.” She offered a smile. “C’mon, Tish. I mean, this looks like a decent job for a while, and you’re sweet and friendly, so you probably make good tips, but is this really making you happy?”

She had a point. But… “I’m not sure how spying on your brother is supposed to make me happy.”

“It’s not the spying.” Her smile faltered for a few seconds, then steadied. “I mean, well, yeah, there’s that, but I’m talking about helping my dad out with rebuilding his library too. There was so much destroyed by the fires after the explosion. And while you’re there, you can save all the funds and take your time to figure out what you really want to do.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth, a hesitant look flickering across her features once more. “I can’t imagine how hard the past year’s been for you, losing both your parents. I was never the same after I lost my mom, so I can’t imagine how you must feel. But are you really happy with what you’re doing?”

I checked the time, then rubbed my head. “Look, I’ve got to get back to work. I can’t figure this out right now.”

“I understand.” She passed a card across the table. “Think about it. Call me and let me know what you decide, or if you have questions.”

Are you really happy with what you’re doing?

That question was still sticking with me hours later.

Damn it.

Why did she have to go and ask that?

Curled up on the couch, I sat tapping the card against the padded arm. This was insane.

I wasn’t really thinking about doing this, was I?

“You can’t,” I told myself. “You shouldn’t.”

The logical part of me seized on the shouldn’t part. It was the truth. I shouldn’t. We were in a support group together. We were supposed to be able to trust each other. Or at least be in the process of building a foundation where we could trust each other.

Grabbing the phone, I punched in the number.

“Hello?”

“Briar Downing?”

I swore I heard the woman smile. “Yes…is this Tish?”

“Yes.” I dropped the card down on the couch next to me, trying to figure out the right way to approach this.

She spoke before I could. “Please tell me you’ll take the job.”

The beseeching tone of her voice crumbled something inside me, and I tried to gather my wits. “I’m not sure how I can. Look, we’re in group together. This…it just doesn’t feel right.”

“There are a lot of things in this world that aren’t right,” she said, her voice hollow. “Your parents dying like they did. Sean…” Her voice cracked, but she rallied quickly. “About Sean, that’s not my story to tell. But Sean lost somebody too. He’s grieving, and he’s not handling it well. He’s going to do something stupid that gets him hurt if he’s not careful.”

“Maybe that’s another reason why I’m not the right person for this,” I hedged. “I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“You don’t understand. Something about you got through to him. Maybe it’s just because you’re both hurting on the same basic level, Tish. I don’t know.” She huffed out a harsh breath. “He’s been numb. For months. Then he started bitching about you, and it was the first real reaction I’ve seen from him in so long, and not just something that was driven by rage or this grief he’s suppressing. It’s not…” She blew out a breath. “I’ll be honest. I’m not just asking you to keep an eye on him. I want you around him because you cracked that shield of his—and you stood up to him. Sean needs that kind of person around him.”

Groaning, I dragged my hand down my face. There was a part of me that understood, not just what Briar was saying. I’d gone through that numb phase myself and had only started to emerge from it over the past couple of months. “Is he still in denial?”

“Denial?” She laughed bitterly. “In a way, yes. He’s not dealing with what happened. At all. He’s got himself locked down so tight, and any time he even starts to grieve, he grabs a bottle or pops a few pills. He doesn’t let himself sleep without one or both because of nightmares…”

The misery in her voice tore at me.

“Will you at least give it a try?” she asked in a small, soft voice. “Give it a week or two. If it seems like it’s not working out or if you don’t feel right, then I’ll pay you for the entire month. I’ve got an idea of what you make at your job if you work full time, and I’ll triple it. Plus, I’ll take care of the arrangements on your apartment, as promised. What do you have to lose?”

I hated that the question was completely and utterly rational.

And once more, that question from earlier. Are you happy…

No. No, I wasn’t.

“Tish—”

Fisting my hand to my forehead, I said, “Let me think.”

She fell quiet.

There had been an idea I’d been playing with, an idea I’d barely let myself consider because the risk was too great right now, unless I was willing to take a huge gamble—and I wasn’t big on doing things like that. It went against that cautious nature of mine.

This would make it less of a risk. Even if it only lasted a couple of months. One month would give me a cushion. I had the money from the insurance settlement, yes, but I’d already used some of it to cover the cost of loans that my scholarships hadn’t covered. I didn’t have to touch that money right now, but I also couldn’t afford to save much either.

If I took this job…

Hell.

“Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll do it.”